Combining her two passions
in her life, an interest in Parkinson's disease and eating the proper
foods, Anne Cutter Mikkelsen has put together an excellent tome that
provides PD patients, as well as their caregivers, with an assortment
of tools that will aid in improving their self-care.

Combining her two passions
in her life, an interest in Parkinson's disease and eating the proper
foods, Anne Cutter Mikkelsen with Carolyn Stinson has put together an excellent tome that
provides PD patients, as well as their caregivers, with an assortment
of tools that will aid in improving their self-care. Written in
straight forward language, Mikkelsen, with the writing help of Carolyn Stinson, shares her vast experience she
has accumulated first with her mother and then her husband, both
victims of PD. The emphasis is placed on adapting a positive
attitude, eating healthy food and forming meaningful relationships.
As the preface to one of the chapters succinctly sums up: “The key
to success in living with Parkinson's disease is implementing an
entire lifestyle approach that includes good nutrition, exercise,
stress management, and using the lowest effective doses of
medications.”

Beginning with a brief
introduction as to what is Parkinson's and a general overview of its
causes, signs, treatments and the future, Mikkelsen and Stinson move quickly covering an expanse of ground as they divide the book into two parts, the first of which describes Mikkelsen's
personal story and that of her artist husband Mike's coping with PD
from 1993, when he was diagnosed with it. We learn how Mike, an award winning potter and sculptor, has skillfully adapted his art to accommodate his advancing stages of PD. Within this section we read about such matters as healthy coping strategies,
exercise, neuroprotection, where we learn about exercises to protect
dopamine-producing nerve cells, benefits of art, when a spouse
becomes a caregiver, and changing the culinary repertoire.

The second
extensive section, and one that you don't often come across in books
of a similar nature, delve into the importance of brain healthy
fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs and optimal wellness with PD. It
is here where we discover free radicals and antioxidants as well
as the benefits of several foods as salmon, and it is also here where
Mikkelsen provides her readers with dozens of delectable and aromatic
recipes illustrating the important of how we eat, which may be almost
as important as what we eat. As mentioned on the back cover of the book: “Motivated by her husband
Mike’s PD, Anne Mikkelsen developed a cooking style that blends her
training in traditional French cooking and love of plants with
emerging science on the importance of brain-healthy fruits,
vegetables, spices, and herbs.

Many chapters are prefaced
with short philosophical musings such as: “Denial of early symptoms
can cause unnecessary anxiety. There is no need to suffer in
silence.” Another insightful one is: “A healthy lifestyle
requires flexibility and a willingness to adapt-sometimes on short
notice.”

The real strength and one of the principal
assets of Take Charge of Parkinson's Disease is its compassionate
approach to a disease where at the present moment there is no cure.
It also serves as a great introduction to how PD patients will feel
better using self-care tools rather than relying solely on
traditional clinical care and medications that only treat the PD
symptoms.